Changing one’s philosophies is one of the hardest things to do, because your philosophies are the thought patterns that have governed our lives. They have been ingrained in us through a variety of personal experiences. They are sacred to us. They are nurtured by us and those around us, and most importantly, we are most comfortable thinking the way that we do. In effect..we ARE the sum total of our beliefs, and act accordingly.

The hardest part about changing our actions, habits, and eventually our lifestyle, is that for those things to change, WE (our old philosophies and beliefs) have to die. Reminds me of the old saying, “everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.” Everybody wants “a” change, but nobody wants “to” change.

Watching Karate Kid(2010) the other day, I was amused at how “Mr. Han” trained “Dre Parker,” who desperately desired to be able to fight. Although Dre wanted to learn Kung-Fu, he resisted almost everything that “Mr. Han” was teaching him. “Mr. Han” had to start at Dre’s attitude and his discipline, before they could even get to the “good kung-fu stuff”. The secret was..that the “good kung-fu stuff” was actually the reshaping of dre’s philosophies and attitudes. There were definitely some techniques thrown in their as well, but before Dre even knew what happened, he had grown into a “winner”..a “fighter”. Now life could throw the same circumstances at him, but the NEW dre would handle those situations differently.

Check out this clip from the movie, where “Dre” discovers that the mundane training of putting on his jacket, and taking off his jacket have actually taught him Kung-Fu.

If we truly want to change, then we have to commit to a process in which we allow ourselves to let go of some of our most sacred thoughts and beliefs. I’m not talking about religion or spirituality here, although it can apply. I’m speaking about recognizing that our absolute BEST thinking has gotten us to where we are in our lives, and if we’re dissatisfied with where that is, then we must head towards the root of problem. Our Thinking. I heard a quote years ago that put me on the path to changing and would love to share it with you. “Five years from now, you’re the same person except for the people you’ve met and the books you’ve read.”- John Wooden

There is more truth in that quote than I can even explain. Change is a matter of intention. Either the intention that the world/circumstances has to CONDITION you into your current life, or the intention that you have to take control of your future, by taking control of what shapes your philosophies, your habits, your actions, and inevitably, your lifestyle.

I’m a firm believer that our thoughts are more powerful than we may understand.
I came across this video by Will Smith a few years ago and was moved by some
of the concepts and ideas Will Smith shares. Hope you enjoy.

I remembered a little story that I came across a few months back and decided to share it. Let me know what you think about the story and the philosophies shared.

A group of grads, well established in their careers, were discussing their lives at a class reunion. They decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired, who was always an inspiration to them. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work, lives, and relationships. Offering his guest hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups. Some cups were porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite. He invited each to help themselves to the hot chocolate. When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor shared his thoughts.

“Notice that all the nice looking expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you are drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What each of you really wanted was hot chocolate. You did not want the cup…but consciously went for the best cups. And soon, you began to eye one another’s cups.

“Now friends, consider this: Life is like hot chocolate, your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor does it change, the quality of life you are living. Sometimes by only concentrating on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate. The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything they have. The richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least.”

So..what do you think? Would love to hear your comments below.